Rays News & Notes for Wednesday, May 3rd

by Patrick L. Kennedy on May 4, 2006 12:13 AM EDT

3 Up
SS Tomas Perez: 1-4, 2 run HR
LF Carl Crawford: 2-4
RP Shawn Camp: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

3 Down
RP Tyler Walker: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K, L (0-3)
SP Casey Fossum: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 2 K
DH Jonny Gomes: 0-4, K, 3 LOB

Extra, Extra, Read All About It

Huff and Lugo on Road Back

Down on the Farm

AAA Durham-OFF

AA Montgomery-W, 6-5

A+ Visalia-L, 8-7

A- Southwest Michigan-OFF

New York 4, RAYS 2 (10)

Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui hit R-B-I singles in the tenth inning as the New York Yankees pulled out a 4-to-2 win over Tampa Bay.

Rodriguez snapped an 0-for-12 skid by driving in Johnny Damon, who led off the tenth with a ground-rule double.

The Devil Rays grabbed a 2-to-0 lead when Tomas Perez homered in the fifth. But the Yankees scratched out a pair of runs in the seventh to force extra innings.

Kyle Farnsworth worked an inning and a-third to move to 1-and-0. Mariano Rivera pitched the tenth for his fifth save.

Tyler Walker dropped to 0-and-2.

[Associated Press via KLFY]

-Well, the Rays drop their third straight, fourth in five, and 14th in their last 19 games. It is pretty sad when Tomas Perez provides your only offense of the night, especially when the opposing pitcher is Jaret Wright, whom New York probably couldn't get Eric Milton with in a trade deal right now. The Rays didn't intentionally walk Alex Rodriguez with first base open in extra innings, and it cost them as he drove in a run that made it a 4-2 game. Casey Fossum struggled with control, walking four and hitting one, something new, and Tyler Walker proved to just be another awful veteran once again by giving away the farm in the 10th. Just a poor night all-around for the Rays, I can't believe we went into extras with this team tonight. The hitting sucked, the pitching sucked, and New York was fairly decent on both accounts, or certainly had the potential to. So I am not too upset over this one, because we didn't deserve to be in it.

3 Up
SS Tomas Perez: 1-4, 2 run HR
LF Carl Crawford: 2-4
RP Shawn Camp: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

3 Down
RP Tyler Walker: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K, L (0-3)
SP Casey Fossum: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 2 K
DH Jonny Gomes: 0-4, K, 3 LOB

Rays Reads

Julio Lugo has been absent from the Devil Rays' lineup since suffering an abdominal strain on Opening Day at Baltimore. Now his return is close.

Lugo played shortstop in an extended Spring Training game on Wednesday and went 4-for-5.

Lugo complimented Rays trainers on the job they have done to get him over his malady. He plans on playing an extended spring game Thursday and said if he feels good he hopes to play against the Yankees on Thursday night, making for a day-night doubleheader.

"I'm hoping he's ready to play in Oakland," Maddon said. "Quite frankly, he had a great day today. [He] did everything well: hit, ran, fielded, got thrown out in a stolen-base attempt. He did all kinds of stuff. He tested himself. I think, in his words, 'Cut it loose a little bit,' and I was very pleased about that."

But Maddon made clear his thoughts on the possibility of Lugo playing in an extended spring game on Thursday and following it up by playing against the Yankees.

"No, that would be too much," Maddon said. "I'm not open to that at all. In my mind, he's going to play tomorrow, take the trip with us, participate Friday if everything goes well. That's how I see it."

Third baseman Aubrey Huff, who has been out with a left knee sprain, went to Class A Visalia with the idea of playing Wednesday and Thursday before returning to the Major League club on Friday against the A's.

[News Courtesy of DevilRays.com]

Well, sifting through all of the normal fluff that Chastain expunges, I was able to get some useful bits of information. Sadly, the two or three days when Dawn-something was the beat writer are over, as Chastain and his ineffective, waste of space reporting return. Dawn actually did well, alas, someone must have let Chastain out of Vince Naimoli's bathroom.

Anyways, good to hear that Julio will be back soon. Seeing how well he has matched up with some of the pitchers we have faced and having seen the bungled mess the past few weeks at the top of the order make me long for Lugo to return. That said, kudos to Maddon for squashing Lugo's hopes of playing today. That would make no sense, having Lugo play in a double-header on the day he comes back from injury. No, Julio, just....no. Hell, I'd even hold him out of Friday's game just for good measure. A cross-country trip isn't exactly the most soothing for fielders, and even then, I'd play him at DH for the weekend, and see how he does before putting him at shortstop in Seattle. But good to hear he was raking in that extended ST game.

As for Huff, he should rake for two days in the Cal League, if he doesn't, I'll be concerned, but I'll have his results on the rehab assignment posted in the minor leagues section today and tomorrow so you can track his progress, or lack thereof. Good to see he's coming back too.

AAA Durham-OFF

Bulls Up Next-vs Indianapolis, 7:00 (Corcoran)

AA Montgomery-W, 6-5:
2B Elliot Johnson: 1-4, solo HR (5), RBI (16), HBP
SS Matt Maniscalo: 3-5, RS, 2B (5), 3B (2), 3 RBI (8,9,10), 2 E (3,4), HR short of cycle
CF Jason Pridie: 0-4, IBB, K, SB (4)
1B Gaby Martinez: 1-3, 2 BB
LF Francisco Leandro: 1-3, 2 RS, 2 BB
3B Aneudi Cuevas: 4-5, RS, 2 2B (1,2), RBI (1), E (4)
SP Tony Peguero: 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 2 WP
RP Marcos Carvajal: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (ER), 0 BB, 2 K, W (1-0)

Biscuits Up Next-vs Mississippi, 8:05 (Magrane)

A+ Visalia-L, 8-7
CF Fernando Perez: 1-4, RS, RBI (7), BB
SS Reid Brignac: 1-5, RS, CS (3), PO
RF Shaun Cumberland: 0-5

3B Aubrey Huff: 0-3, RS, BB, K
2nd-Struck Out Swinging
3rd-Grounded Out, 6-3
5th-Walked
7th-Grounded Out, 4-3
8th-Patrick Cottrell replaces Huff at third base

1B Chris Nowak: 2-5, RS, 2 RBI (12,13), K
DH Joey Reiman: 2-4, 2 RS, BB, K
LF Patrick Breen: 0-3, RS, RBI (19), BB, K
C Colt Simmons: 3-4, 3 RBI (5,6,7), K
SP Derek Feldkamp: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R (ER), 4 BB, 4 K, WP
RP Jarod Matthews: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R (ER), 2 BB, 5 K, HR, BS (1), L (0-3)

Oaks Up Next-at San Jose, 3:45 (Gonzalez)

A- Southwest Michigan-OFF

M-Rays Up Next-at Beloit, 6:30 (McGee)

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